Spring Break
Online Prices or WNMU Bookstore:
Who gives the student a better deal?
Cassandra Bluett
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Front Page
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For most students, the beginning of a new semester means spending a few hundred dollars for books. Student, Mark Martinez, buys his books from the bookstore, while others get their books on the web. "I have never checked online," says Martinez. "I've always used the bookstore because it's convenient."
If you are a bargain shopper, online is the place to go. Amy Richardson, a student in the nursing program, normally uses the Internet, "because books are usually cheaper."
"If there is a big price difference, I'll buy online. If not, I'll buy from the bookstore," states Kent Richardson.
To compare WNMU's bookstore prices to prices online, I chose 25 books at random that were found inside the bookstore, and compared their prices to what I could find online. I searched through Amazon.com, Half.com and Cheapbooks.com for the books on my list, and found a wide range of prices. Several of the bookstore prices were close to, if not under the price of the cost of the books on the Internet. But the majority of books in the bookstore were overpriced. The biggest shocker was the Basic Mathematics book. The bookstore wanted $111.75 for it new, on Half.com, the same new book cost $11.50!
According to my price list, a student will save 27%, on average, using the Internet. These savings come as a relief to the "poor college student."
Despite the high prices, the bookstore still receives plenty of business. The bookstore located directly on campus has many advantages. Students who receive book scholarships usually get their books from the bookstore on campus. Because the bookstore is managed by eFollett, students can order their books directly from the company and the books can be shipped to their house, or they can be put on reserve in the bookstore for pickup. (To find out more about this, click on the bookstore link on the WNMU homepage, or go to efollett.com). Many students who need their books right away can buy their books on the spot and do not have to wait for the books to be shipped to them, as others who choose to buy their books online.
If you are a bargain shopper, online is the place to go. Amy Richardson, a student in the nursing program, normally uses the Internet, "because books are usually cheaper."
"If there is a big price difference, I'll buy online. If not, I'll buy from the bookstore," states Kent Richardson.
To compare WNMU's bookstore prices to prices online, I chose 25 books at random that were found inside the bookstore, and compared their prices to what I could find online. I searched through Amazon.com, Half.com and Cheapbooks.com for the books on my list, and found a wide range of prices. Several of the bookstore prices were close to, if not under the price of the cost of the books on the Internet. But the majority of books in the bookstore were overpriced. The biggest shocker was the Basic Mathematics book. The bookstore wanted $111.75 for it new, on Half.com, the same new book cost $11.50!
According to my price list, a student will save 27%, on average, using the Internet. These savings come as a relief to the "poor college student."
Despite the high prices, the bookstore still receives plenty of business. The bookstore located directly on campus has many advantages. Students who receive book scholarships usually get their books from the bookstore on campus. Because the bookstore is managed by eFollett, students can order their books directly from the company and the books can be shipped to their house, or they can be put on reserve in the bookstore for pickup. (To find out more about this, click on the bookstore link on the WNMU homepage, or go to efollett.com). Many students who need their books right away can buy their books on the spot and do not have to wait for the books to be shipped to them, as others who choose to buy their books online.
